The Evolution of Hip-Hop Fashion: Origins to Now
A complete history of hip-hop fashion
Everyone knows hip-hop fashion when they see it, but it is becoming increasingly more difficult to define. One can point to a specific rapper or era, but it never captures the entire picture.
As hip-hop has moved into the mainstream, the lines are blurred between what is and is not considered hip-hop. Yet there is an underlying idea that explains the progression and evolution of hip-hop style:
It’s all about attitude.
By Caroling Shackelford
February 25, 2022
Slick Rick has long donned marks of royalty, as seen in this 1988 photo. (Janette Beckman)
The story of how hip hop changed fashion, leading to the stratospheric and global rise of street wear. It is a journey of African American creativity and the limitless possibilities of a cultural movement on a global scale.
Female Rappers, Class of '88, 1988. Photograph by Janette Beckman. From the Eyejammie Hip-Hop Photography Collection.
© Janette Beckman
